I don't believe that antidepressants treat depression. I have known this since I completed my first course of the stuff at 14, and I have overcome several bouts of depression without antidepressants. Admittedly, this is based on personal experience and what I think is common sense.

I know there are lots of other people that have the same attitude to antidepressants and mental health professionals in general, so I hope this isn't some rogue pseudoscience opinion.

I'd like to know how to refute this simple counterargument: how can you be so sure that all clinical psychologists and millions of successfully treated people are wrong about the effectiveness of antidepressants? Ideally with reliable evidence in support.